Church community remembers drowning victims

Mourners comforted one another outside Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Sturgeon Bay after Monday's prayer vigil for Adam LaLuzerne of Sturgeon Bay and Kurt Ahonen of Green Bay. The men drowned in Lake Michigan near Sheboygan on Sunday. LaLuzerne grew up in Sturgeon Bay.(Photo: Mike Brisson/For USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)Buy Photo

STURGEON BAY - Corpus Christi Catholic Church was packed Monday night as family and friends came together to remember two men who drowned Sunday in Sheboygan.

Adam LaLuzerne of Sturgeon Bay and Kurt Ahonen of Green Bay disappeared around 4 p.m. Sunday when they were swept off the South Pier breakwall and into Lake Michigan by a wave. With them at the time of incident were Dylan Abeyta and Jeremy Wheat, both of Sturgeon Bay. Abeyta was also knocked into the water, but was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. Wheat alerted authorities to the incident. An unnamed fifth man with the group was on shore when the wave hit.

Sarah Gavin, Corpus Christi’s youth minister, said she thought it was joke when she first heard about the accident and did not want to believe it.

“They were so full of their love for Jesus,” a man said of LaLuzerne and Abeyta.

Abeyta spoke during the service about his “best friend” of 15 years.

He also recalled the last few days for those in attendance. The friends hung out at LaLuzerne’s Sheboygan apartment playing Cards Against Humanity, smoking cigars and drinking, and watching YouTube videos.

Members of the audience laughed.

On Sunday, the group went to get ice cream and four decided to go out on the breakwall.

“Maybe in hindsight we were all kind of aware of the risk,” Abeyta said.

He recounted the moments after they were knocked into the lake.

“(For) brief moments, I was able to see Kurt and Adam screaming for help,” he said.

The men tried to comfort each other and reminded each other to keep their heads above the water.

Mourners gathered at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Sturgeon Bay as part of a vigil for Adam LaLuzerne of Sturgeon Bay and Kurt Ahonen of Green Bay. The men drowned in Lake Michigan near Sheboygan Sunday.(Photo: Mike Brisson for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)